


When Worlds Collide

by ThatsSoAlex247



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Crossover, Drama, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:56:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23791174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatsSoAlex247/pseuds/ThatsSoAlex247
Summary: Bella's godfather brings her to New York to escape her heartbreak. What happens when the past comes back to haunt her? Can The Avengers save her, or has her fate always been sealed? Will she save herself? Non-canon. Bella Swan/Steve Rogers
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Bella Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter One

**AN: This is is a collaboration fanfiction, and I've never posted here before so go easy on me.**

**Summary: Bella's godfather brings her to New York to escape her heartbreak. What happens when the past comes back to haunt her? Can The Avengers save her, or has her fate always been sealed? Will she save herself? Non-canon. Bella Swan/Steve Rogers.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

**BPOV**

The bell above the door rings as someone walks into the store. I’m sitting at the checkout, trying not to fall asleep from boredom. 

Mike walks up to the desk just as I’m trying to conceal a yawn. 

He laughs. “Slow day, Bella?” 

“Every day is a slow day,” I quip. 

He checks his watch, and then shrugs; he doesn’t disagree. “You can go if you want. I’ll cover the checkout.” 

I look at the time on the cash register. It reads 4:30 and think about it for a split second. 

“Sure. Thanks!” I stand up from behind the desk and walk out into the back room to collect my bag. Mike is standing behind the checkout when I come back. I silently pray that he won’t ask me out. Again. 

“Hey, Bella.” He runs a hand through his hair, and my heart pangs at the familiar motion but for different reasons. “You know if you’re ever free …” 

I cut him off. “Mike, we’re friends, right?” 

He sighs, and then nods. “This town is too small, isn’t it?” 

I smile. “Most definitely.” I dig into my bag for the keys to my truck, and then hitch my bag up onto my shoulder. “See you in a few days.” 

I walk out of the store and do a small fist pump on the way out—maybe I’ve finally gotten through to him! 

I look at myself in the rearview mirror and rub my eyes. The girl looking back at me hasn’t smiled properly in a long time, and I wonder when that’s going to change. I sigh, and then crank the truck into reverse. 

xoxo

I pull into our street and notice an Audi on the side of the road that I haven’t seen before. My heart skips a beat, but I try to ignore it. It isn’t parked outside my house, so it must be someone visiting a neighbor. 

I park my truck in the driveway and apply the parking brake. I grab the food I got from the diner and get out. I look back along the street as I’m walking up to the porch and gaze wistfully at the Audi. 

I shake my head and turn back to the front door, putting my key in and unlocking the door. 

“You know, you really ought to secure your house more thoroughly.” 

I scream and drop my drink, and it spills all over the floor. Ice cubes rattle all over the floorboards, and I can’t help but think about having to clean that up later. 

“Hi, kiddo.” 

I turn toward the voice with my hand on my chest as if that’s going to slow down my racing heart. Once I focus on the visitor standing in my living room, the Audi outside makes sense. 

“Uncle Tony?” I drop the bag of food on the floor and race toward him, throwing my arms around his neck, and start to cry. 

He hugs me back tightly. “Oh, Bella. What happened to you?” 

I cry even harder and try to talk through the sobbing. “It’s so good to see you.” I pull back and wipe the tears from my face. 

Uncle Tony looks at me. “It looks like we have a lot to catch up on.” He goes to sit back down on the couch, and I stay standing. “Bella?” 

I wipe my eyes of tears again and go to sit down next to him. “Why are you here?” 

“Charlie called.” He hasn’t ever been able to lie to me. “But, you know, I was planning on coming anyway. Since you’ve graduated and all that.” 

“Hmm.” 

“C’ mon, Bella. You can just as easily pick up the phone.” 

“And what, leave a message with Pepper, or JARVIS?

He winces. “That isn’t fair.” He grins. “It’s hard work, saving the world, you know.” And then he winks at me. 

I can’t help but smile. “I am glad you’re here. To be honest, I’m surprised Dad didn’t call you sooner.” 

Tony has the decency to look sheepish. “Or did he call you sooner?” I gulp. “How much do you already know?” 

“It doesn’t matter because I want you to tell me.” 

I fall back against the sofa and take a deep breath. It doesn’t matter how much he knows, and it doesn’t matter how much I tell him because, for once in my life, I don’t care that I’m about to admit I dated a vampire and that he completely and utterly broke me into pieces, and that I haven’t been the same even though it’s been almost two years. I sit up again, square my shoulders, and dive into the story. 

xoxo

I talk for what feels like ages. I tell him everything. About Edward being a vampire, and that his whole family is as well. I tell him about Phoenix, and James, and my birthday … and then I get to the part about him taking me into the woods behind my house and telling me that he didn’t want me anymore. 

_ “I don’t want you to come.”  _

_ “You don’t want me?”  _

_ “No.”  _

The memory comes to me, and I shake away the feeling. I tell him about how I’ve been like a zombie since it happened; that I haven’t done anything … I haven't wanted to do anything. I tell him why I’m still in Forks, and that the reason I haven’t left— why I didn’t go to college—is because I’m secretly wishing he’ll come back. I wipe away tears that have fallen while I’ve been telling my story, and then let out a breath as I finish talking. “So, that’s it.” I look at Uncle Tony to see if I can tell what he’s thinking about, but he looks impassive as always. 

He looks at me and smiles. “Do you feel better now?” 

I’m shocked by his first choice of words. I just told him I dated a vampire. I narrow my eyes at him. “You knew, didn’t you?” 

He tilts his head. “I believe when I called you at various points last year you told me that you had a boyfriend, and I might have happened to do a check on him to see what I could find.” He shrugs. “There wasn’t much, which made me curious … but then I found out he was connected to Carlisle Cullen, and I realized I’d met him before.” I can’t help but wince at the name being mentioned. “I knew there was something weird about him, but I didn’t know they were vampires until you said the words.” 

“I shouldn’t have told you. I shouldn’t have even known in the first place.” I wring my hands. “But I do feel better for getting it all off my chest. I just haven’t been right, not … since it happened. I haven’t been myself. I haven’t been able to tell anybody.” I decided it probably isn’t the best time to bring up Jacob and the fact that I’m also friends with a werewolf.

“I could kill him.” He growls. 

I laugh. “You couldn’t even if you wanted too. He’s a vampire. Indestructible comes with that territory.” 

Headlights shine into the front window, interrupting our conversation. “Charlie’s home.” I look at him. “And he doesn’t know any of this.” 

“Duh.” He puts his arm around my shoulders, and I lean into him. “It’s going to be okay, Bella.” He kisses my head. “I promise.” 

The front door opens and Charlie walks in. “Bells!” he shouts. “I’m home!” 

“I’m right here, Dad. There’s no need to yell.” 

“Jeez!” He jumps, and it makes me snicker. “Why is there food on the floor, Bella?” 

“Oh, I forgot about that. Dad, we have a visitor.” 

“Hi, Charlie.” Uncle Tony stands up from the couch and heads toward my dad, and they hug the only way men seem too. 

“Tony! What a surprise to see you.” 

I roll my eyes and walk past them to pick up the food I dropped on the floor earlier in my surprise. “You’re a terrible liar, Dad. I know you called him.” I go into the kitchen and dump the bag in the trash. I walk back out with the mop in my hand to clean up the drink I also spilled on the floor. 

“A call that was long overdue,” Tony says. 

I don’t reply as I mop up the spilled drink on the floor. 

“Bells, what happened?” 

“Oh, Uncle Tony made me jump as I was coming in so I dropped my drink all over the floor, and then my food …” My stomach chooses that moment to rumble rather loudly. I place my hand over my stomach as if to hold the noise in. 

Charlie laughs. “Pizza?” 

xoxo

Dad and Uncle Tony have been talking for hours since we’ve had dinner, and I’ve been sort of watching TV while listening to their conversation. 

“Bella?” 

“Hmm?” I turn toward my dad. 

“Can you turn that off for a second?” 

I look at him quizzically but turn off the television and turn around to face them properly. 

“Do you have plans, Bella?” Tony asks. 

I frown. “Plans?” 

He pauses for a second. “College?” 

I look away and wring my hands. 

“You gonna tell him, Bells?” 

I stay silent, and Charlie sighs. “Bella applied to a few colleges during her senior year. Columbia was one of them, and they offered her a full-ride scholarship, and she turned it down.” I look back at my dad, and he looks upset. 

Tony doesn’t say anything. I guess he doesn’t have too. 

I bite one of my fingernails. The room is silent. 

Charlie sighs and stands up; he leaves the room without saying a word and climbs the stairs silently. 

“Bella?” I turn to look at Tony. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to leave. How could I? What he if came back, and I wasn’t here?” My voice breaks. “But I already know he isn’t coming back.” I run my hand through my hair. “God, I need to get over it.” I move from the chair I was sitting in and back to the couch to sit next to him. I lean my head on his shoulder. “It was so stupid.” 

“Come to New York with me.” 

I sit back. “What?” He doesn’t reply. “Are you crazy?” 

“It has been said before.” 

I laugh. “I can’t just go.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because … What about Charlie? What about my job?” 

Tony pats my knee. “Bella, Charlie will be all right, and do you care that much about your job?” 

“Well, no, but …” 

He raises an eyebrow. 

I gulp, and my voice becomes quiet. “What if he does come back?” 

“Bella.” 

A lone tear runs down my cheek, and I wipe it away. I turn to look out the front window, the streetlight at the end of our driveway lights up the back of my truck. 

_ “Say something.”  _

_ “What do you want me to say?” he asked in a detached voice.  _

_ “Tell me you forgive me.”  _

Another tear runs down my cheek. 

_ “Mike Newton ended up in this conversation because Mike Newton would be a hell of a lot healthier for you to be with.”  _

_ “I’d rather die than be with Mike Newton. I’d rather die than be with anyone but you!”  _

_ “Don’t be melodramatic, please.”  _

I wipe another tear from my cheek. 

_ “But my kind … we’re very easily distracted.”  _

_ “It will be as if I never existed.”  _

_ “You’re not good for me, Bella.”  _

He isn’t coming back. I’ve known this the whole time, but I’ve been lying to myself. Charlie’s tried so hard to pull me out of this funk I’ve been in, and I know he’s disappointed in me for giving up that scholarship and staying in this town where nothing ever happens. 

All because I’m heartbroken over a boy I dated for six months. I’ve spent more time pining over his return than the time we ever spent together. A boy I loved and thought I wanted to spend forever with. A boy I thought loved me too. A boy I was willing to turn immortal for. 

But he’s gone. And he isn’t coming back. There’s no point wishing for it anymore. 

I don’t know how long it’s been quiet, but Uncle Tony is patiently waiting. I turn to look at him and wipe the last remaining remnants of tears off my face. 

“I’ll come to New York with you.” 

He stands up from the couch, and I walk over to hug him. 

“I know this will be good for me.” 

“It sure will be, kid.” He kisses the top of my head. “It sure will be.” 

xoxo

I come downstairs the following morning, and Tony is folding up the bedsheet from the couch. 

I already know what his answer will be before I ask the question. “How’d you sleep?” I snicker. 

“Like a baby. That spring poking into my left kidney helped lull me to sleep …” He turns to glare at me. 

“I’ll sleep down here if you’re staying for a few more days,” I say as I walk toward the kitchen and begin to pour some coffee. 

He leans against the doorframe. “It depends on how many days you think it’ll take you to pack everything up.” 

I turn around to face him. “Huh?” 

“Always so eloquent.”

I blush and hand him a cup of coffee. “What do you mean?” 

He shrugs. “Is there any use in hanging around? You can hand in your notice at your job, pack up, and we can go.” 

“I dunno …” 

He gives me a look. “Why are you stalling?” 

“I haven’t even told Charlie that I’m going, and you want me to hand in my notice at Newton’s today?”

“You need to give your father more credit. You don’t think this was his idea to begin with?” 

I blink at him. “Huh?” 

Tony laughs and sits down at our kitchen table. I know he’s been here before, but it looks odd to see him sitting in our very humble kitchen. “When Charlie called me way back in September last year”—he pauses, and I can’t help but wince—“he told me what had happened and wanted me to come and persuade you to leave then, but I knew you wouldn’t want to go. He’s been keeping me updated, and then you didn’t want to go to Florida to your mother, which I can’t say I blame you. I knew there wasn’t any point in trying to get you to come to New York either. So, we waited until you’d graduated. I didn’t know about Columbia. I’m surprised you didn’t tell me about that.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Do you still want to go to college?” 

I sit down opposite him at the table. “Well, yeah, but I turned them down, so they’re not going to still want me anyway. And hasn’t the semester started already?” 

He waves his hand in a noncommittal gesture. “I can pull some strings.” 

I roll my eyes. “Of course, you can.” I take a sip of coffee.

He stands up. “So when can we go because I can’t sleep another night on that couch.” 

“I know I don’t have a lot of stuff, but even I can’t pack it all up in less than a day. Give me two days?” 

He groans. “Ugh, fine, but I’m going out to buy Charlie a proper couch today.” I start walking up the stairs. “One that’s a futon!” he calls up the stairs, and I laugh. 

xoxo 

Tony was serious about going to buy Dad a new couch. He’s scrolling through the GPS to find somewhere to buy one as I get out of the car at Newton’s. 

The rumor mill of Forks isn’t going to be able to cope after seeing Tony Stark walking around town. 

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, to psych myself up, before pushing open the front door of the store. There’s no one in the store as I walk in, but it’s October, so it’s hardly surprising. I walk up to the checkout desk, and there’s no one around. 

“Hello?” 

“Bella?” Mike says from behind me. 

“Oh, jeez!” I jump. 

He walks behind the checkout desk and looks bashful. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He looks perplexed. “You know you’re not working today, right?” 

“Um, yeah. Is your mom or dad around?” 

“No. They’re out of town. They’ve had to go to some wholesaler show or something.” 

I groan internally, I didn’t want to give my notice to Mike directly. I put the envelope on the counter. “Can you make sure they get that, please? It’s important.” 

He picks the envelope up from the counter. “Are you leaving?” He doesn’t have to open it to know what it is. 

“Um, yeah.” 

“Where are you going?” 

“Uh, to New York. I’ve decided to go to college after all.” I shrug. 

“Nice.” 

There’s a brief silence. “So, please make sure your parents get that letter. I won’t be here for my shift on Friday because I go in, like, two days. It’s all been a bit sudden.” I’m rambling. “But, hey, it’s been great working here, and please pass that on.” 

“Bella?” I hear Tony’s voice as he walks into the store. 

“Coming! Take care, Mike.” 

Tony appears around the corner. “Ready?” 

Mike looks back between me and Tony, looking even more perplexed than he already did. I roll my eyes. “See ya!” I turn around and make my way out of the store. I hold the door open for Tony. “I told you not to come in there!” 

He laughs. “I just really wanted to see that kid's reaction. Priceless.” 

“Ugh, people are gonna be gossiping so badly now.” I climb into the Audi. “Did you get a couch?” 

“You think it would fit in this car? They’re dropping it off later.” 

“Dad is gonna kill you, but I know you don’t care.” 

“Nope.” He starts the engine and pulls out of the parking lot.

“I suppose this means I better start doing some packing.” I groan. 

“You said earlier you don’t have much stuff!” 

“Well, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to enjoy it.” 

xoxo

I’ve been upstairs sorting and packing stuff all afternoon, and I’ve officially had enough. I have more stuff than I thought I did. I stand up from my bedroom floor and groan due to how stiff I’ve gotten. I head down the stairs just as Charlie walks in the front door. “Hi, Dad.” 

“Hey, Bells.” He hangs up his gun belt and walks into the living room. He stops in the doorway, looking at the new couch. I press my lips together to stop from laughing. “What’s this? Where’s my couch gone?” 

Tony comes round the corner from the kitchen with a dishtowel over his shoulder. “It’s a new couch!” 

Dad looks at Tony. “I didn’t need a new couch.” 

It’s a blocky, square modern-looking thing, slung low to the ground and beige. Dad’s glaring between Tony and the new couch. My guess is it’ll be stained within the day. 

“I respectfully disagree, Charlie. I’m staying here another couple of nights, and I couldn’t have that other couch pressing springs into my back anymore. So, now you have a new couch!” 

“You are insufferable.” 

“The only way you like me.” Tony winks. 

“All right, you two, get a room.” I sit down on the new couch. “I like it. It’s comfy.” I grin. 

“Bella has something to tell you, Charlie.” 

I glare at Tony. Dad sits down next to me. “I’ll just be carrying on with dinner.” Tony disappears back into the kitchen. 

“You leaving?” 

I nod. “Yeah.” 

Charlie has never been one for affection, but he leans over and hugs me. “That'll be good for you, Bells.” 

I hug him back. “Thank you, Dad.” 

“Just try not to turn too New York, okay?” 

I laugh. “I’ll try.” I stand up. “I better go pack some more.” I head back up the stairs and into my bedroom. I go to step around some of the stuff on the floor but trip over one of my sneakers and land hard. “Shoot!” I rub the bottom of my foot. I look down and notice that the floorboard is sticking out. “Huh.” I kneel and pull up the wood. I let out a breath at what I see. I pick up the handful of stuff and place it next to me. I move my legs from under me and sit down properly. I look through the stuff and find the pictures that had been removed from my photo album, the CD he made me, and airline tickets to go see my mom in Florida. 

“Bella? Dinner is ready.” 

“I’ll be there in a second.” My voice breaks at the end. 

Tony comes to stand next to me. “Bella?” I hand him the stuff. “What’s this?” He looks through it all. 

“They were my birthday presents from last year, and he hid them. I just found them under the floorboard.” I stand up and hold my hand out. “Give them here.” Tony hands me the stuff, and I walk out of my bedroom and run down the stairs. I open the front door and run down to the trashcan on the sidewalk. I drop the things inside and slam the lid back on. “You’re a cowardly bastard.” I turn back and walk to the front door. 

Tony raises his eyebrows at me from the front door. “You okay?” 

“I am now.” I close the front door. “What’s for dinner?” 

“Kraft mac and cheese.” 

“I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone to cook dinner.” 

xoxo

I wake up on Friday morning, feeling a bit odd, and then I realize that today is the day I leave Forks. I lie in bed for a little while, and then decide I should get out of bed and go use the bathroom. I come back and get dressed, and then pack my few last-minute things into a backpack. The stuff I’ve decided to take with me has already been shipped to New York. 

I pick up one of my suitcases and head down the stairs. 

“Morning, sunshine,” Tony calls out. 

“Good morning. You haven’t made breakfast today have you?” 

“No, you’re safe. I made pancakes for you,” Dad says from the couch. 

“Thanks, Dad.” I sit down at the kitchen table and start eating. 

“I’ll go grab the rest of your stuff, Bella,” Tony says, and then climbs the stairs. 

Dad comes to sit opposite me. “I’m proud of you, Bella.” 

I put down my fork after I eat my last pancake. “You are?” 

“Of course. You’re doing a brave thing. I know you didn’t want to go, and I hope you don’t mind that I called Tony, or that he’s known about this the whole time.” 

“You needed someone to talk too, and of course, I don’t mind. I know this will be good for me, Dad, and to be honest, I’m kinda excited.” I smile.

He stands up and holds out his arms. I push my chair back, stand up, and walk into his hug. “I love you, Dad.” 

He kisses the top of my head. “I love you too, Bella.” 

I step away from him, and we walk out of the kitchen to the front door. 

“You ready to go, Bella?” Tony says from the car. He walks up the path to the bottom of the steps. 

“Yeah.” I turn around and hug my dad again. “I’ll call you when we get there.” 

He pats my back. “Okay.” 

I look up at him, and his eyes look watery. I walk down the steps to the car as Tony walks up to talk to Dad. “Look after her, Tony.” 

“With my life, Charlie.” They hug, and Tony joins me back in the car. I climb into the passenger seat and buckle in my seatbelt. 

“Ready?” 

“Let’s go.” 

Tony reverses the car out of the driveway, and I wave at my dad as we drive away. I wipe a lone tear away as we head out of the street. We pass the welcome sign into the town and head out onto the highway. I’m going to miss Forks, and I’ll especially miss Charlie, but I know this is the start of something new for me, a new chapter. For the first time in the last year, my broken heart isn’t ruling my every move. 

xoxo

We arrive at the airport in Port Angeles a little over an hour later. Tony drives onto a part of the tarmac and parks next to a small airplane. He gets out of the car and heads over to the plane. I stay in the passenger seat and watch as Happy comes out to greet Tony. 

I’m looking around the airport when the car door is opened. I gasp and swing round to face Tony. 

“Are you getting out? Or are you going to stay here?” 

“You scared me! You have to stop doing that!” 

He rolls his eyes and closes the door behind him and makes a “come on” motion with his hand. I climb out and walk round to the trunk of the car. 

“Your stuff is already on the plane, Bella.” 

“Oh.” I blush. “Sorry.” I make my way toward the plane and climb the steps. I stop just inside the door of the plane, completely in awe. “Wow.” 

“Cool, right?” Tony says from behind me. 

“I’m never going to be able to get on a normal airplane again.” 

He laughs. 

I sit down and look out of the window. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Bella.” 

I turn around and smile at Happy. “Hi.” 

Tony sits down opposite Happy. “We should be in the air for about six hours.” 

“Okay.” I look out the window as the plane starts to move forward, the speed picks up as we go to take off, and I say goodbye to Washington. At least, for now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**SPOV**

“So, you’ll want to keep this software going 24/7 with the parameters we’ve set up. That’ll be your main focus for now and school, of course.” 

I can hear Maria speaking to someone, and I’m barely curious who Stark has pawned off on her this time. As I round the corner, I can hear the man himself. 

“Now, Miss Hill, I think school should be the primary focus,” he says, and I realize with a groan there’s going to be an intern slinking around the tower. 

“Tony, I’m signed up for classes, and I’ll go, but—”

“It’s Mr. Stark or Uncle Tony while we’re at work, young lady.” I can hear the three of them laughing heartily.

I stop in the doorway and stare at them until the young girl looks up and blushes when she locks eyes with me. 

“So, it’s Uncle Tony now?” I ask as I step into the room. 

“I think it’s Mr. Stark to you today, Cap.” But he smiles as he stands and shakes my hand to drag me into the room a little more. “Captain Rogers, meet Bella Swan.”

The young girl stands and smiles, but there’s more of a smirk there. 

“You like Bella, right? You haven’t changed your mind again and decided you like Isabella now?” Tony asks the girl, and she lightly rolls her eyes. 

“No, Mr. Stark. I prefer Bella, and I always have.” She reaches out to shake my hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Captain Rogers.”

“The pleasure is mine, Miss Swan.” Honestly, it is a pleasure. I’m surprisingly taken with her. She’s much more polite than the previous handful of interns we’ve had, and the fact that she didn’t fall all over me is a huge plus. Although …

“What’s this ‘Uncle Tony’ business?” I ask as I hand off the requisition forms to Maria and perch on the arm of the couch. 

“Steve, this is Tony’s goddaughter, who now has an internship here,” Maria informs me with a smile. “But she is brilliant, so there’s probably only minimal nepotism.”

My eyebrows shoot up in response as I smirk at Tony. 

“Well, this sounds like an awkward conversation that doesn’t warrant my presence,” Bella says as she stands up and slaps her hands on her thighs. “Miss Hill, if you need anything, you know where to find me.” 

I watch as she walks out of the room, and I know my gaze lingers a little longer than necessary. 

“Eyes up front, Cap!” Stark barks out at me, and I whip my head back around to look at him. 

“What’s with the kid?” 

“It’s a long story, but she had a rough year or so, and she was wasting her life away in some podunk town. She needed a new city, a chance, a new lease on life.” Tony’s eyes are shining slightly.

“She’s smart, Steve. You’ll like her,” Maria pipes up from behind her desk. “She’s quick, mostly quiet, but she has a great sense of humor.”

I nod and rise. “Get those forms filed when you get a chance, will ya?”

I head toward the door, and I hear Tony’s footfalls behind me.

“You gonna get on my case for giving a job to family?” he asks and grins as I roll my eyes at him. 

“There’s nothing wrong with taking care of family, Tony—blood or otherwise.” I stop walking and stare at him. “How did Tony Stark end up as the godfather of a 20-something-year-old girl?” 

“It’s a long story. Just be nice and look out for her,” he answers and continues walking down the corridor. 

“I’m always nice!” I call after and laugh lightly when he stops and turns around. 

“You’re always polite, Cap. I told you to be nice.” He turns again, and I can’t help myself. 

“She’s pretty, Tony. Maybe I could take her out on my bike; show her the city.” 

“Back off, soldier boy. She has a thing for older men, and the last one broke her heart.” 


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter 3**

**SPOV**

To say that Bella Swan was an enigma to me would be an understatement. 

I was currently doing some reconnaissance to try and figure her out. She came across as shy and demure, but I’d overheard some fairly defiant outbursts between her and Stark.

She sometimes loved it when he called her “kiddo”. He sometimes loved it when she called him “Uncle”. Other times they both loathed those monikers. 

Her story was that she moved to New York to go to Columbia for college, but I've yet to hear about her attending classes. 

Mostly, she was working for Maria Hill, who of course was working for me, I mean, The Avengers. 

I knew when she was in the offices. I could hear her voice. Smell her perfume. 

She had captivated me. It was intoxicating. 

I was terrified. Tony mentioned that she had a thing for older men. I certainly fit that category. 

I had a thing for her. 

I keep a professional distance whenever possible, but at this exact moment, she’s walking toward my office. Her voice is soft but strong. I’ve heard her verbally spar with Tony and Bruce. 

She’s smart and witty. 

She’s funny.

“Captain Rogers.” She’s hovering in the doorway. 

“Yes?” I’m trying not to stare into her eyes. They’ve trapped me before. 

“I have the statistical reports you wanted from Agent Hill.” She takes two steps in and places them on the edge of my desk. 

“Thank you.” I don’t look up. I’ve stopped typing, and I’m sure she’s noticed, but she doesn’t mention it. 

“You know, we have this thing called email, now? Super helpful.” The sarcasm is so obvious it’s hard not to smirk.

“I like hard copies.” I finally look up at her and smile. “They’re easier for me at times. Keeps me grounded.”

She snorts, and I laugh out loud. I can’t help it; she keeps herself composed 90 percent of the time. 

“I could use some lessons in grounding myself.” Bella sighs, and it’s the look on her face that has me concerned, so I rise from behind my desk. 

“What’s the matter?” I take a few tentative steps toward her. I’m staring, and I can’t help it. She’s gone pale, and I’m sure if I reached out to touch her, she’d be trembling. 

“You know you always stare at me.” She spits out the words, and they sting like venom.

I stutter, trying to come up with an acceptable answer. 

“My ex-boyfriend used to stare at me all the time too. I thought I liked it. I thought it meant he liked me.” She takes a step deliberately away from me. “He didn’t.”

I’m not shocked but surprised that she opened up to me like that. As far as I knew, she hadn’t spoken about her life before New York except for mentioning her parents or her schooling. 

“I’m sorry.” I take a step back and make eye contact with an air vent on the wall behind her. “I had no idea. I never intended to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Bella scoffs and the sound is so harsh coming from her petite body. 

“I know Tony told you; everybody knows why I’m here.” She pouts, and I can see just how young she is. 

“I don’t know what you think Tony told me, or anyone else, but he would never betray your trust like that.” I gesture to the low-slung sofa across from my desk, and she perches on the edge.

I lean against the edge of my desk, cross my arms across my chest, and take a good look at her. 

Here she is all of 20, new college, new to the city; new to life if we’re being truly honest here. She’s got her whole life in front of her, and she came here. Why? To get away from a bad break up?

I’ve got to get a handle on my hormones because I can smell her perfume or her shampoo, whichever, and it’s driving me crazy.

“So, you broke up with your boyfriend?” I ask quietly, feeling all of my 95 years. 

“I like that you think I did the breaking.” She frowns. “Uncle Tony never really said anything?” 

Bella never refers to him as “Uncle” during working hours. She wanted to keep some things separate; I guess we’re moving past that now. 

“He never told me. I seriously doubt he told anyone—it’s no one’s business what brought you here.”

She’s quiet and unmoving, unblinking. 

“Bella, are you all right?” I ask as I drop my arms and move to crouch in front of her. Her scent is so much stronger the closer I am. Her eyes are dark and warm. They’re dry. 

“Do you realize I’ve just been playing a part since I got here?” Her gaze flickers to mine, and our eyes lock. “I’ve been walking around like a zombie because I thought everyone thought I was some weak, defeated, brokenhearted … child!” She leaps to her feet, and I fall back onto the floor.

“I’ve been acting like I did when that soulless creature left me in the woods!” She’s seething, and it’s new and sort of exciting. 

This Bella I’d like to see in the gym, to spar with her. 

And other things. 

“Wait, he left you in the woods?” I ask, and she glances at me awkwardly lying on the floor. She offers her hand to help me up, and when I take it, a jolt of electricity bolts through me. 

“Sorry,” I mutter as I move to the sofa and stare at her as she paces and stares at her hand. “So, the woods?”

“Yeah, Washington in September. I was in shock and sort of passed out. There was a search party. They found me four hours later,” she explains, but she continues to stare at her hand.

“I’d like to wring that sucker's neck for doing that to you.” I all but growl, and she finally looks at me again. There’s laughter in her eyes. 

“I’d like to see that, but even with all your rippling muscles, you couldn’t do much to him.” Bella sighs and sits down next to me. “Tony didn’t tell you, but you should know. Everyone should.”

“What is it?” 

“Edward and his family are … different. They’re—”

“Captain Rogers! There is a level three alert on Long Island. Your assistance is required immediately.” JARVIS’s voice breaks through the office, and I jump to my feet. 

“Roger that, J. Fire up the Quinjet. I’ll be there in two minutes.” I glance down at Bella and smile. “Raincheck?”

“Sure thing. Go save some people, Captain.” She smiles and scurries out of my way as I race to the top floor and the loading dock.


	4. Chapter Four

** Chapter 4 **   
** BPOV **

I sit back down on the couch after Captain Rogers leaves the room, still staring at my hand. The  
electricity that passed into my hand after I helped him up off the floor was weird. It felt like a  
weird static shock, and I realize I haven’t felt that since … I shake my head to try and get the  
memory out of my brain, but it doesn’t work. 

  
_He swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with his fingertips. The trail his fingers left on my_   
_skin was warm, like I’d been burned._

  
I put my hands up to my head, gripping at my temples as if that’s going to make the memory go  
away. 

_Like yesterday, he touched my face with the back of his cool hand, stroking once from the_   
_temple to my jaw, and then he turned and walked away._

  
The memory of our first time in the meadow comes into my head, of him listening to my heart,  
me tracing the features on his face, and me leaning into his chest and him putting his arm  
around me. 

  
Of our first kiss. 

And our last. 

  
I feel the tears on my cheeks before I comprehend that I’m crying. I wipe my cheeks with the  
back of my hand and close my eyes tightly. 

  
“Bella?” Agent Hill comes into the room. Obviously, I’ve been gone too long. “Ah, there you are,  
I was—” She stops talking when she looks at me, and when she realizes I’ve been crying, her  
eyes go wide. “Shit, are you okay, Bella?”

  
I wipe my face again and stand up from the couch. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I was gone so long. I  
didn’t mean to be.” 

  
She studies me for a moment. “You don’t look well. Are you feeling all right?”

  
I look down at the floor for a brief second and bite my lip. “I’m not feeling well all of a sudden  
…” 

  
“You can go. There wasn’t that much left to do today anyway. Especially now that Steve’s been  
called away.” She shoos me away. “Go get some rest.” 

  
“Thank you, Agent Hill.” I turn around and begin to walk out of the room. 

  
“Also, how many times have I told you to call me Maria?” I practically hear her rolling her eyes.

  
I don’t reply and keep on walking out of Captain Roger’s office. I reach my desk and grab a few  
things I need, mostly my cell phone, and go toward the elevator. I wait for it to arrive, silently  
hoping that nobody else will come this way. It dings and the door opens, and it’s thankfully  
empty. I press the button I need, and then step to the back of the elevator, closing my eyes as I  
lean at the back. 

  
_“You’ll move on. Your kind are … quick to forget. Soon, I’ll just be a distant memory.”_

  
I take a shaky breath and open my eyes as the elevator dings again. I step out and walk toward  
my bedroom. I push the door open and step inside.

  
Today is the first time I’ve said his name out loud since I got here. I haven’t even said it since  
Tony turned up in Forks. I roll my eyes as I think about everybody knowing the real reason I’m  
here, and of course, it makes sense that they wouldn’t know. Why would Tony tell them? 

  
“Oh, yeah, and my goddaughter is here now because her vampire boyfriend broke up with her  
and left her in the forest, and she’s been a zombie for damn near two years.” 

  
I laugh and sit down on my bed. 

I remember I was going to tell Steve earlier that they’re vampires. It isn’t my secret to tell, one I  
wasn’t supposed to know at all. But maybe that’s the best way to feel better? Send my new  
superhero friends after them? 

  
I snort. I’ve never wanted to hate him more than I do right now. 

  
I told myself I was done wishing for him to come back on that night Tony asked me to move to  
New York, that I was done pining over him.

  
I clearly wasn’t. 

  
But I am now.


	5. Chapter Five

** Chapter 5  **

** SPOV **

“Oh, Steve!”

A small but firm and warm body collides with mine as I rounded the corner at the top of the stairs. 

“Oh, jeez, I’m sorry.” I bend down and help Bella pick up her belongings. She’s holding a battered backpack and trying to shove a thick textbook and a couple of three-ring binders into it while I’m trying to collect what seems like two dozen various pens and pencils that scattered along the floor. 

I hear the squeak of rubber on the marble floor as I’m stuffing the last pen into the case and look over just in time to see Bella topple over on her ass. She sighs, and then just flops backward, and I can just hear her sniffle. 

I lean over to look at her, and Bella has her eyes shut tightly and tears are pooling in the corners. 

“Are you all right?” I ask quietly. She opens her eyes, and I smile softly down at her. 

“It’s just been a long day, and then this happens and—” She sighs loudly. “Can I just cry for a minute? Because every time I start to cry around Uncle Tony, he immediately starts cracking jokes and”—hiccup—“generally tries to cheer me up.”

“Sometimes, you just need to let it out,” I say and offer her a hand to help her up. 

She nods, and I grab her bag off the floor. 

“You want to get out of here? You can cry all you want.” I smirk. “I have great shoulders.”

Bella sends me a watery smile and nods her head. 

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel a little like a princess stuck in a tower.” She takes her bag and starts to walk toward the living quarters. “Lobby, Rogers. Twenty minutes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To her credit, Bella didn’t cry on my shoulder, but seeing how red her eyes were when we met downstairs, I got the impression she got it out before we left. 

“What’s the plan, Captain?” she asks as she steps up to where I’m standing in the back corner of the lobby. 

“Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?” I ask with a grin and lead her to the bank of elevators. 

“This may come as a surprise, but I have.” She laughs as we step into the open elevator. “I mean, if dirt bikes count.”

I hit the button for the lower level garage and smile back. 

“I mean, technically, it does, but you’re in for a whole new experience.” I look her up and down, and while she’s a bit on the willowy side, Bella has fire in her eyes. 

The fact that she wore a leather jacket hasn’t escaped my notice either—I know she knows I have a bike. 

“Nice jacket, by the way.” I stride out of the elevator and hear her scurrying to follow. 

I lead her to my bike—a Harley Davidson 750. 

“Helmets are the law.” I hand her the spare skullcap as I strap on my own. 

The next thing I know, she’s flush behind me with her arms wrapped around my waist, and I’m navigating us down 42nd street to FDR Drive and cruising along next to the East River. 

Bella is comfortable on the bike as she’s leaning into turns with me, keeping her feet up when we have to stop, and I don’t feel her flinching in the ever-growing traffic situation. 

“Are we going to Brooklyn?” She has to yell over the traffic and honking horns, so I grab one of her hands wrapped around me and squeeze. 

She presses up against me just a little tighter as I maneuver us onto and over the bridge and into my hometown. 

Here, I’m just some kid from Brooklyn; no one cares that I underwent experimentation back in the forties. 

No one here cares that I’ve fought alongside gods and a man in an iron suit to save New York against an alien invasion. 

When I cross the bridge from Manhattan, I’m just some schmuck on a bike. 

I could stop in the Heights and show her around my old stomping grounds, but the idea of showing her the gentrified apartment building that used to be the tenement my mother and I survived in seems a little intense for today.

I just move us to Ocean Parkway and continue. 

It’s the middle of September, and at four o’clock in the afternoon, the weather is downright pleasant, and when I can’t find parking anywhere close, I’m not too worried about the heat getting to either of us. “Where the hell are we?” Bella asks as she pulls off her helmet and passes it to me to secure it.

I shrug. “Coney Island.” I offer her my hand with a smile. “Come on.”

She grabs my hand, and I lead her down Surf Avenue, passed beach rentals, ice cream stands, and pizza shops. 

I’ve always wanted to come here,” she tells me with a wide smile. “I grew up seeing it on TV and in the movies, you know? It always seemed like an escape to another world.”

“I used to come here whenever I had a little extra scratch.” Some rollerbladers come flying toward us, so I pull Bella out of the way. “My buddy and I would come down, get a dog, and try to flirt with the girls. My friend was a great dancer.”

I keep us moving. I don’t talk much about Bucky and telling her now won’t do any good. Besides, I’m trying to distract her today. 

“Is that James? I mean, Bucky?” She’s quiet and keeps her head forward as we continue walking. 

“I mean, I’ve been to DC … to the Smithsonian. The exhibit is really impressive.”

“Yeah, it is.” I have to clear my throat. I’m still not sure I can say his name out loud. “That’s him. They gave him a nice dedication.”

She laces her fingers between mine and squeezes my hand softly. 

“It’s so hard to lose the people we love, to leave them behind … or be left.”

She sighs and tips her face up to look at me. 

“It’s weird, I … never mind.” The blush that covers her cheeks makes her seem younger than she is. 

“What’s weird?” I’m curious, so I tug her hand, hoping she’ll look up at me again. 

“Holding hands with you.” She shrugs and laughs lightly. “Your hand is just so warm. I’m not used to that.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Is that Nathan’s Hot Dogs?” The next thing I know, she’s dropped my hand and is running the 20 yards to a famous restaurant. I smile and trot after her. 

Half a dozen franks later and two trips up and down the boardwalk, I’ve finally talked Bella into riding the Cyclone.

“I’ll puke all over you,” she informs me, pouting. 

“You had one hot dog, and that was almost an hour ago,” I point out. 

Bella shakes her head. 

“It’s not scary, and it’s not even that fast.” I’m all but pleading as I lead her to the ticket booth. “You’ve cried it out, now it’s time to scream.”

I want to hear her let go, to scream. 

_Slow down, soldier._

“Steve, contrary to anything you might ever learn about me, I am not a thrill-seeker.” She’s laughing and trying to dig her heels into the pavement. 

“Bella, children ride this. It’s a rite of passage.” 

We’re staring at each other now—she’s got her arms crossed over her chest, and my hands have landed on my hips. 

“What do I get if I go on it?” she asks me finally, and I grin.

“What do you want?” 

“A prize.” She breezes past me to the ticket booth and has two tickets before my brain can catch up with the action around me. 

“You coming, Rogers?” She waves the tickets at me as I jog over to her. 

“I was going to buy those.” Pointing it out seems like a weird, macho move, but I was planning to buy them. She’s a student and—

“I can feel your brain spinning from here.” She laughs as we move into the line. “You got the hot dogs. I got these. You know about women’s lib, right?”

I can feel my blush now, and while I know she’s teasing me, there’s a sting to it. 

“I’m all for strong, independent women, Bella.”

“But?”

“You’re a student. They’re not typically known for having a lot of extra spending money.”

“Nice save, Steve. I’ll allow it.” She leans into me and drops her voice. “You know my godfather is very rich, right?”

“You know your godfather will have my ass handed to me if he thinks I’m not treating you right.”

She smiles and wraps a delicate arm around mine while we move through the line. 

“You better give me a really good prize then.”

Ninety seconds later and all through the 12 drops and 60 miles per hour, Bella laughed, whooped, and screamed her head off. 

I loved every millisecond of it. 

At the exit, we find a bench, and she shoves me down to sit. 

“You screamed.” She’s still trying to catch her breath, but she’s pointing a petite finger at me and giggling. “You, Captain America, screamed on this rickety roller coaster.”

“You didn’t have to dig your nails into my forearm.” I grab her hand, and she stops laughing. 

“I think they have one of those games that test your strength. I’m sure I can win a great prize for you there.” I say as I stand up and pull Bella behind me. 

“Steve?” 

I turn and realize she’s dropped my hand. She’s standing on the bench now and looks embarrassed.

She’s tugging on the sleeves of her leather jacket and chewing on her bottom lip.

“Bella, what’s wrong?” I stand in front of her, and she’s barely taller than me, even standing on this bench. 

“I just wanted to thank you … for today, I mean.” She sighs and stops fidgeting long enough to put her hands on my shoulders and look me directly in the eyes. 

“Today was a hard day for me. A lot of memories to compete with. I was prepared to hide out in my room and just … wallow in it.”

She smirks and pats my shoulders. 

“Then you ran into me, and the dam broke, and I—” Her voice breaks, and I pull her into my arms. 

She cried on the floor when I knocked her over, and I’m pretty sure she cried before we met in the lobby, but she hadn’t cried once today. 

Not in front of me. 

I rub small circles across her back and try to whisper soothing words, but I’m not much for comfort. 

When she finally pulls away from me, she doesn’t hide her face, but she immediately wipes her tears. I reach into my pocket and fish out a few leftover napkins and hand them to her. 

“I’m going to tell you something, and then I’m going to do something, and it's going to seem weird to you, but I just need to you to roll with it, okay?” 

I nod because what else am I supposed to do or say right now?

“Two years ago today, my ex-boyfriend dumped me and left me alone in the woods at dusk.” She inhales sharply, and her eyes dart around the crowd, and I can’t help but look over my shoulder. 

“We were deeper than I realized, and I couldn’t find my way out. A search party was sent out for me, and if they hadn’t found me, well, I’m not sure what would have happened.”

“You told me. The search party was out for four hours looking for you.” I can’t wrap my brain around what she’s telling me. 

She could have been seriously hurt or even …

“Steve, I was sad earlier, but honestly … this is the first time I haven’t been angry or hurt when I talk about him. You kept me distracted and interested in something else.”

I shrug and roll my eyes, but she catches me off guard once again when she leans in and plants her soft lips firmly on mine. 

That jolt of electricity I felt between us all those weeks ago is back, and I can’t feel or smell anything else but Bella. 

She surrounds my entire universe in that single moment. I want to delve deeper, and I inhale, changing my angle to take her mouth. 

Bella sighs, and one hand grips my shoulder and one hand cradles my face, so lovingly and tenderly. 

My arms encapsulate her waist and draw her body flush against mine. 

When her tongue swipes across my bottom lip, I open at her request and the soft flesh is eager and hot like mine. 

It’s not until we hear catcalling and whistling that we pull apart, panting and flushed. 

Those in the crowd are good-natured, so I ignore them and just stare at the girl with rosy cheeks and swollen lips in front of me. 

“Bella, I—”

“Weird, right?” she asks as she climbs down from the bench. 

I drape my arm over her shoulder and pull her to my side as I begin to navigate us back to where I parked the bike. 

“What? Because you told me your ex tried to kill you in one breath, and then took mine away in the next.”

“That’s not how he almost killed me.” She’s quiet, and I don’t think she meant for me to hear that or to say it out loud. 

“We’re going to keep walking, but I have a whole new set of questions now.”

She sighs again, and I feel her body slump a little against mine. 

“Of course, you do.”

“If you didn’t want me to know, you wouldn’t have said anything.” I hug her to me, “Everything is enhanced with the serum, including my hearing. I’m pretty sure you knew that.”

She’s silent until we get back to the bike, and then she speaks up. 

“I’ll need to fill you in on everything, if you’re interested in whatever this is.” She gestures between us and looks up hopefully. 

“I mean, unless you want to leave me in the woods too.”

I can’t believe she could even joke about that. I want to rip this kid's head off for doing that to her. 

“Don’t even joke. It’s not funny.” I grab her hand and raise it to press a kiss to her fingers. “You use humor just like Stark. Are you sure you’re not blood?” 

She grins and reaches for the helmet she used earlier and straps it on. 

Once she’s seated behind me, I turn slightly to look at her. 

“I am very interested, Bella.” I kick the bike alive. “Whatever this is.”

“Good. Take me home, Mr. Rogers.” She wraps her arms around me and snuggles in as I take off, and we leave Brooklyn behind. 

When we reached the tower, I felt her sigh against me. Once we were parked and in the elevator, Bella is distant and quiet. 

She’s no longer holding my hand and is staring at the floor. When we reach the penthouse level, she steps out without a word, but as soon as she realizes I’m not behind her, she turns around.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” I ask as I slowly step out of the elevator. 

She fidgets from foot to foot and won’t look at me.

“I can’t … and I don’t think I should.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, and she still won’t look at me. 

I step toward her. “You implied he tried to kill you. I don’t think I can let that go.”

Bella finally looks up at me. “I need you to.” 

I take a step away from her and rub my hands over my face. 

“What if I can’t?” I turn back to her and can see the tears welling in her eyes. “I feel something for you, Bella. I can’t deny that. There is something between us.” I grab her hands and pull her to me. “I know you can feel it. Don’t ask me to just ignore this. That’s not who I am or what I do.”

She sighs and pulls away from me slightly. “I get that … but you need to understand that I can’t tell you because I _do_ feel this between us. I want to protect you.”

“Damned if we do …”

“Damned if we don’t.” She nods and wraps her arms around my waist as I lean down and rest my chin on the top of her head. 

“You know there isn’t a lot that can actually hurt me.” I’m joking, trying to lighten the mood. I want to see her smile again. 

“You don’t understand, Steve.” Bella pulls away from me suddenly and begins to pace. “He can!”

I scoff and start to protest, but the look on her face stops me.

“Edward and his family … I almost told you before, but you were called away. They’re dangerous, Steve. I understand that now.” She starts pacing again. “I thought I understood before, but now that I know what he’s capable of … Believe me, they can hurt you.”

“Bella, I’m not saying I’m invincible, but let’s face facts. Not much is going to tear me down.” I’m a little smug; there’s no denying that. I also have a point. 

“Look, they’re not like me or you. They’re not even really—”

“Isabella!” A voice thunders from the stairs above us, and I’d almost forgotten that we were in the living room in the penthouse. We both look up to see Thor leaning over the railing and smiling at us. 

“Um, hi?” She’s met him before, many times. He’s an intimidating presence in any situation. 

Luckily he’s in “earth” clothes and left the damned hammer somewhere else. 

“Isabella, I have been looking to speak to you about the Native people in the state where you once resided.” He stands up and smiles. “I’ve heard tales of them being shapeshifters.”

In that one remark, something has changed. The air around us is suddenly tight, and Bella has shifted away from me and is moving toward the stairs. 

“Uh, yeah. The Quileute tribe has a lot of stories about shapeshifters in the tribe. I was really good friends with some kids who lived on the reservation, and they told me the stories.” She smiles broadly and starts up the stairs. “I’d love to tell you.”

“Fantastic! I came across a shapeshifter on another world, and I’m very curious to see if the circumstances are in any way similar.” Thor is grinning widely and winks at me. 

Frustration rolls over me in waves. Instead of speaking up and asking Bella to finish our conversation, I turn to walk toward my room. 

I’ve kept my room on this first floor level of the penthouse for convenience, and I’m grateful I can escape to it quickly and quietly. 

Just before I get to the door and reach for the keypad, I hear light footsteps behind me. 

“Steve?” I sigh. 

Everyone said dating had gotten progressively harder as the years went on. I obviously wasn’t prepared for it. “It’s been a long day. I need to get some sleep.” I key in my code, and my door pops open, but I don’t enter. “Would you have told me? If he hadn’t interrupted us, would you have told me?” I turn to face her, and I can see the resigned look creep over her face. 

I know the answer. 

“I want to. I want you to understand that.” Bella tugs on the ends of her hair and lets out a frustrated sigh. “Can you trust me that it's for the best?”

“I don’t know. Honesty and trust go hand in hand, you know.”

She clears the few feet between us and places her hands on my chest. 

“I can be honest without telling you this.” Her eyes are large and pleading, “You can trust me without knowing this, at least for now.”

I drop my forehead to hers and inhale deeply. 

“I can try. I don’t know how long it will last because I know there’s something I don’t know.” I grab her hips and lift her gently and press my lips to hers. “But I want to try.”

Bella wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back. 

I know JARVIS is always watching, which means Tony is possibly watching. I lower her back to the floor, and she smiles at me with swollen lips once more. 

“Good. You’re the best prize I’ve ever gotten.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Three months later_

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Bella is perched on the arm of my couch and looking at me bemused.

“A family-type dinner with everyone there? Sure, I’m totally fine.” I’m staring at my pale reflection in a mirror and fumbling with the buttons on my shirt. 

Bella snorts behind me.

“I just don’t understand why we’re calling it a _family_ dinner,” I say as I undo every button and start again. 

“Because we’re a family?” She stares at my reflection, and I can’t help but smile at her. “Clint and Pepper have been helping me all morning. Dr. Banner has been trying to help, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what a vegetable peeler looks like, so I made him take out the trash and run to the nearest bodega so he would seem helpful.” I can’t help but laugh as she sighs. 

She looks tired; her hair is up in a messy ponytail, and her shirt is splattered with food stains.

“Steve, I never had this, okay?” I turn to look at her, and she’s on the verge of tears. 

I wrap my arms around her gently and kiss the top of her head.

“Don’t cry.” She sniffs a little and wraps her arms around my waist. I look down at her and decide on complete honesty. “Look, I’m just a little nervous because I’m pretty sure they’re all getting suspicious. I’m not mentally ready for Tony to grill me about my ‘intentions’ with his goddaughter.” 

Bella snaps her head up to look at me, and I know I’ve crossed a line. She’s so small and quiet most of the time that you don’t realize she’s got the temper she does … or the volume to match it. 

“I love Uncle Tony, but I’m an adult. I don’t need some men talking about their ‘intentions’.” She spits out the word, and I swear her volume goes up with every breath she takes. “And what do you mean you aren’t mentally ready?” As soon as the words leave her lips, she freezes. Her eyes go wide, and her small hand smacks herself on the forehead. 

“Jesus, Steve, I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” The tears are back, but I stay rooted in my place. Since that night on Coney Island, we agreed that transparency, as much as we could give each other, was key. 

“It’s been six months since they found me.” I slide my hands into my pockets. I don’t want her to see how they still tremble. “Everything that I knew, everyone that I loved”—I close my eyes and sigh—“just gone. I didn’t get to mourn. I just had to suck it up and move on.” I walk across the living room to the window that overlooks the city. “I barely recognize this place. I don’t know anyone, and I have to blindly trust the people who tried to lull me into a false sense of security when I woke up.” I turn back to look at her, and I’m ashamed to see her with her arms wrapped around herself and crying silently. 

“Then they made you fight again.” She hiccups, and whatever spell I'm under is broken. I go to her and pull her onto the couch with me. 

“I’ve only ever wanted to do what was right. Defending the city was the right thing to do. I feel so lost here sometimes. It’s too loud now, and there are too many people.”

Bella pulls away from me and sighs. 

“Did you ever talk to that therapist? We talked about PTSD, Steve. It’s real, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

I don’t answer her, which is all the answer she needs. 

“I can bring a tray up for you so you don’t have to be down there.” 

“It’s not just that.” I grab her hand and kiss her knuckles. “You’ve had a lot of time to grieve and move on from your ex. I just—”

“Do you need more time? I can give you more time.” She stands up and starts pacing. “We’ve only been seeing each other for three months, Steve. I’ve done the be all-end all type of relationship, and it’s draining.” Bella stops pacing and smiles at me.

“I just want to be with you. I won’t be a doormat or a second thought. So, when you figure out what you want, I’ll still be here.” She moves to me and raises up to kiss me. “Just don’t take too long, okay?” She walks toward my front door. “I need to change. Fix your shirt and roll up your sleeves, all right? It’s going to be fine. I made a cherry pie just for you.”

She slips out, and I know she’s right. I can feel it deep in my bones, but there’s something else coming. 

I don’t know what it is or when it will happen.

But it’s going to be big. 


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter 6**

**BPOV**

I’m tired. I’m not even taking a full course load, but between school, the internship, and Steve … I’m just tired. 

I’m not saying that any of those things are a burden to me, but it’s nice knowing that right now I can just go to my room and do nothing. I have no homework, and since it’s a Friday with no plans with Steve, I get a night off.

_ “Miss Swan, your uncle would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience.” _

I haven’t even been in the elevator to the living quarters in the tower for 10 seconds when JARVIS pipes up.

I sigh, “Jarvis, please tell Mr. Stark that my earliest convenience is sometime tomorrow.”

_ “I sense the sarcastic nature of your response and have directed it to Mr. Stark.” _

“Awesome,” I mutter as I step off the elevator and head down the hallway to my room.

After keying in my code and throwing my backpack on the floor, I head to the small kitchenette to find a snack. 

Steve and I have the key codes for each other's rooms. Generally speaking, we don’t enter without permission, but occasionally, we’ll sneak in and leave notes. 

One time, I left brownies for him on his counter. 

One time, I found him asleep on my couch after reading one of my books. I run my hand over the buttery leather of the cushion. 

_ The day had been one nightmare after another, but seeing Steve stretched out on my couch with “Rebecca” open flat on his chest. I whipped out my phone and snapped a picture; I wanted to save this image forever. _

_ I toed off my shoes, set the book on the coffee table, and snuggled in next to him. There was just enough room for me, and when I pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, his eyes fluttered opened, he gave me a drowsy smile, and shifted to wrap his arms around me.  _

_ “Hey, how was school?” he stretched just a little as I burrowed farther into the sofa and his warmth.  _

_ “I’ve had better.” I ran my hands up and down his chest. “How was the book?” _

_ Steve’s hands are tracing soft lines along my back as I begin to press kisses to his neck. “It was sad and haunting.” I hear the sharp gasp as I press my body to his and continue to kiss and lick at his neck and along his jaw toward his ear. “The housekeeper is creepy.” _

_ “Mhmm, I told you.” My voice is just a whisper in his ear, and his large hand slides from my back to knead at my breast. I hum in delight, and suddenly, Steve has shifted us so I’m on my back, and he’s hovering over me. His elbows are on either side of my head, and he’s on his knees between my splayed legs.  _

_ His face is flushed as he dips down to capture my lips; lips that are already stung from the five o’clock shadow on his face and ready for more. Instinctively, our hips meet in the middle, and I can feel how hard he is. _

_ In that moment, I know I’m not ready. I thought I was a long time ago. I thought maybe I would be again soon, but it’s not today. When I pull away abruptly from his kiss, he searches my eyes for an answer.  _

_ “Not yet.” He says it so kindly, firmly.  _

_ “I want to feel something, Steve.” I’m not above begging because I feel a little desperate right now. It’s building inside of me, and I need the release, so does he. “I’m not ready for … everything.” _

_ “We can give each other something.” He dips back and sweeps his tongue over my lips and bucks into my center—hard and hot.  _

_ He pulls one of his arms down and around my back and wraps it around my waist to pull my hips forward to meet his every thrust. His mouth finds my neck and buries itself there, chanting my name in between licks and soft kisses.  _

_ My arms are locked around his shoulders, as much to keep him as close as possible as they are to keep me grounded to him.  _

_ I can hear the sofa feet slipping against the hardwood floor and Steve reverently whispering my name. I can feel his length pressing up against me again and again in just the perfect spot that, when the explosion hits, it’s like a nuclear bomb.  _

_ Steve’s panting and thrusting against my center as I come down. Just as I latch onto his ass, I feel him stiffen, and he lets out a grunt into my neck. His body goes slack against mine, and the weight feels glorious and not at all too much to bear. He pulls himself back up on his elbows and gazes down at me.  _

_ “How’s your day now?”  _

I smile at the memory and glance into my kitchen. There’s a new note on my fridge. 

_ Tony desperately wants to talk to you about something. It’s all he’s talked about today. It took everything for Pepper and me to convince him to not collect you from school. Just FYI. See you tomorrow, Steve.  _

_ P.S. Thor’s involved. I have more questions.  _

I roll my eyes and sigh. This is the last thing I wanted to deal with right now. 

Steve has been so great about me not telling him my secret. He knows it’s not even my secret, but he also knows that I believe I’m protecting more people by not telling him. But when Thor asked me about shapeshifters … he couldn’t help himself. 

After I told Thor everything I knew about the  Quileute tribe, which was admittedly not much, Steve wanted to know if that was my secret. 

When it wasn’t, he cooled down for a while, but every so often, he would ask again. 

I understood; I really did. It didn’t make it any less annoying. 

The ringing of my in-house phone pulls me back to the situation at hand. 

_ “Hey, little miss! Are you ignoring me?”  _ Tony’s voice rings out, and I move to pull up his image on the holo-screen and move into frame. 

“I’m sorry. You have reached the life model decoy of Isabella Swan, please leave a message.”

_ “Look, it doesn’t work when I do it, and it’s not working for you.”  _ He smiles.  _ “It’s cute though.”  _

“What do you want? I’m tired.”

_ “I ordered Chinese—all your favorites. I’m working on a project for you. Goldilocks is helping, but I need some input from you too.” _

“Did you order Thor his own? Because I’m not sharing, and I want to bring all the leftovers back up here.” 

“Yeah, sure thing.” 

“I’ll be right down.”

When I get down to Tony’s lab, the only place he spends any time in, I see cartons of takeout all over one table and Thor gesturing wildly while Tony welds something. 

I step into the room, and Thor greets me with a wide grin. 

“It’s about time! You need to tell Stark everything you know about the ‘cold ones’.” 

I stop in my tracks and stare at Tony’s back. 

“Uncle Tony, may I have a word please?” I ask through clenched teeth. 

“I think not.” He turns off the welding torch and pivots to look at me. “I didn’t say a word, he did.” He cocks a thumb toward the god, and I’m staring in disbelief. 

I suddenly don’t understand anything that’s going on and have no idea why I’m down here. 

“I don’t understand,” I tell them as I hop up on one of the workbenches and look between both of them. 

“Here.” Thor hands me a box with egg rolls in it. “I know you favor these.”

“I came to Stark as a precaution. I know of the ‘cold ones’ from my own father, Odin. He would tell me and my brother stories of Earth’s own immortals.”

“Vampires.” My voice is barely audible, but Thor nods and looks to Tony. 

“There is one group that believe themselves to be gods among humans.” I gasp. “They are not. They are tyrants.” 

“I don’t understand. So, Asgardians know about vampires?” I ask as I set the egg rolls aside. “You two are talking about them, and you want my input? Why?”

Tony turns to look at me. “We’re trying to figure out how to protect you.”

“Why do you need to protect me?” I can feel the panic bubble inside me. Edward left me. He didn’t want me. I was just a distraction. 

“He’s never coming back for me. I’m nothing to him.” I can barely breathe, and I clutch my stomach. I dry heave a little, and I’m honestly more annoyed at my reaction. As I try to hop off the bench, Thor comes and helps me down, and I start pacing on wobbly legs

“Isabella, he could come for you at any time. If this governing body of vampires finds out that you know about them, they could come after you.” Thor is staring at me, concern written all over his face, but Tony … he isn’t even looking at me. 

“What is it?” I ask as I move to him. “Tell me.”

“I’ve lost them.” His voice is a hoarse whisper as he pulls up a screen and starts flipping through files. Driver’s license photos, school records—all forged by some professional but still available. 

“I was tracking them, but after they left Denali, we lost the trail.” Tony looks over at me. “I promised Charlie I’d look after you. I need you to tell me everything you know about them.”

“Like what? What are you building?” I swipe the screen away and look down at the suit he’s modifying. 

“It’s for you. This is why I need to know everything you can tell me. I need to know how strong to make it.” His eyes are pleading with me. 

“You can’t protect me from them.” I back away from them both. “I’ll write everything down and give it to you, but you don’t understand.”

“Isabella, what are you not saying?” Thor voice is booming even in the large lab. 

I’m at the door, and I just want to go to my room. I want to cry and scream. I want to be myself.

I want Steve. 

“They’re stronger than any of you. If a vampire wants me, you won’t be able to stop them.”

I turn to open the door and look back at both of them. 

“Or save me.”

**SPOV**

_ “Captain, you wanted me to alert you when Miss Swan was entering her quarters.”  _

“Thank you, Jarvis.” So, the elusive Bella had finally left the comfort of her office and was home for the weekend. Now was the time to set things in motion. 

I grabbed everything I had left by my door and head down the hall to hers. When I knock on the door, I can actually hear her sigh from the other side. 

“Bella? Open the door. I just want to talk to you,” I call out, hoping that she’ll give in without a fight. She’s been avoiding me for the better part of the past week. Unless it had to do with work, she hasn’t spoken to me or seen me. 

There’s silence from the other side of the door, save for the padding of what I assume is her feet across the hardwood. I can picture her pacing. 

“I gave you space because you obviously wanted it.” I’m leaning against the doorjamb now. “You ignored my calls and texts. You changed the key code to your door, which by the way, I wouldn’t have used. It’s time to open up and talk to me.”

I hear the click of the lock and the door creaks open. Standing before me isn’t my beautiful girl but a hollow shell. Bella looks worn and beaten down. She beckons me in, and when I step inside, I’m appalled by the state of her place—the sink is piled with dirty dishes, takeout containers litter the counters and table, and there are just piles of clothes all over the place. 

“Bella—” 

“Are those for me?” She’s pointing to the bouquet of wildflowers I’m holding, and when I nod dumbly, she takes them and moves about in the kitchen, finding something to put them in. 

“Give me about 20 minutes, and I’ll have this place cleaned up.” Bella sighs as she looks at the flowers nestled in a clear vase as she sets them on her coffee table. 

“I’ll give you a hand,” I say as I roll up my sleeves and grab her trashcan. 

Between the two of us, we get her place back to rights in half an hour, working in complete silence. When we’re done and I’m coming back from dropping the three bags of trash in the chute, I find her changing the key code again. 

“I’m putting it back. I’m sorry I changed it in the first place.” The tears are welling in her eyes, and I’m suddenly at a loss. 

My objective had been so clear: come over here and get some answers out of her. Why had she been avoiding me? What had she spoken to Thor and Tony about last week? Were the two things connected?

“Sweetheart,” I murmur as I reach for her, and the dam breaks, and I can feel her tears soaking the front of my shirt. “Shh, everything is going to be all right.” I guide her to the couch and pull her down onto my lap and stroke her hair. 

Bella brings her arms up around my neck and breathes deeply. “I’m sorry.”

I pull away from her slightly to look into her eyes, “You don’t have to apologize. Does this have to do with the conversation you had with Tony and Thor?”

She nods as she slips from my lap and settles in next to me on the couch. 

“What happened?” I turn my body to face her and drape my arm over the back of the couch. I’m open to her, in more ways than one, but her knees are drawn up to her chest and her arms are locked around them. She’s closed off, and I don’t know how much I’ll get out of her. 

“I just didn’t know how to handle all the information that was presented to me, and I shut down.” She shrugs and gives me a weak smile. “It’s not a good excuse, but it’s all I’ve got.”

“But, you didn’t just avoid me; you haven’t spoken to anyone else, and I know you skipped classes this week.” I place a hand on her knees. “What is going on? What did Tony talk to you about?”

“Steve, please don’t—”

“It always comes back to this secret, doesn’t it?” I shove myself off the couch and try with all my might to stay calm, but I know it’s useless. “I get that there are things you can’t tell me. I don’t like it, but it’s there, so I have to deal with it. Bella, I think relationships are about being open and honest with each other. Is that ever going to happen with us?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s not because I don’t want to, Steve. I made a promise, and keeping my word is important to me. It doesn’t matter if Edward broke my heart and the Cullens betrayed me. I made a promise to them.”

I stop and stare at her. “So this  _ is  _ about your ex. What is it? Is he looking for you? Did he threaten you?”

“Uncle Tony has been tracking him and his family since I left Washington, but he lost track of them.” Her voice is so quiet that I have to take a seat next to her again to hear her clearly. “He’s building me a rescue suit just in case.”

“A rescue suit? Why would you need that?” 

Bella sighs, and I can see again how tired she is. “I told you that his family is different, unique. It’s just a precaution.”

I’m somewhat stunned into silence when something occurs to me. “Thor was there. When you had this little talk with Tony, Thor was there.” I can feel the agitation setting in again. “What does he have to do with this?”

I watch as her throat moves, and I can hear the audible swallow. 

“He knows.”

There’s a ringing in my ears, and it sounds like a bomb just went off. I’m leaning over my knees trying to catch my breath. 

“Thor knows.” I’m not asking her to clarify anything. 

“I didn’t tell him, Steve. Neither did Uncle Tony.” She reaches out a trembling hand to my shoulder, and I shrug her off. 

“So how does he know?” My gaze is steely, and I see her recoil slightly from me. 

“His father told him stories of people who were like Edward and his family when Thor was just a young boy—just bedtime stories.” She’s quiet again, and the tears have stopped, but her wide eyes are fearful. I don’t know if the fear stems from me and my behavior or these bedtime stories that I know nothing about. 

“Thor is over a thousand years old, and his father, Odin, told him stories about your ex?” 

“Not him exactly, but those like him.” Her resolve is so strong, and there’s a part of me that celebrates her for it. 

“What is he? The boogeyman?” I desperately want to make light of this situation and pulls us out of this. 

“Yes. They’re the thing of nightmares. They’re going to come for me, Steve. One day, when we least expect it.” She stands up and brushes past me. “I have to protect you because I love you. Not telling you the truth isn’t a choice I make easily.”

“I don’t need protection.” I’m yelling now as I jump up from the couch again, and she and I have put some space between us. She hovering near the front door, and for once in this conversation, she looks like the strong independent woman that I— “I love you too. Bella, I want us to be partners in everything, but that means you have to tell me everything.”

“I don’t have a choice, Steve. You have to accept what it is.” 

“I just have to accept that whatever or whoever he is, he can hurt you and all of us so badly? He can take you away from me? But you won’t tell me what he is so I can protect you? I don’t accept that. I can’t accept that.” I stride the few feet across the room to the door and where she’s standing. My hand cups her cheek gently. 

“You know where to find me when you want to tell me how to help you.” I press a kiss to her forehead and walk out the door. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

Since I moved to New York and started the internship, I’ve been working almost every day or at least finding something to do. 

Of course, Tony is aware that Steve and I have been seeing each other, although he hasn’t said anything specifically to me. 

Movies, plays, art openings, picnics in the park when the weather permits. 

Coney Island is still just  _ our  _ place, and we go there to get lost in the crowds. 

Steve sits with me while I do homework, and I’ve even practiced a few speeches on him. I’ve tried to catch him up on a lot of things that he’s missed, but 70 years of information is a lot. 

For the most part, everyone accepts it. We get some good-natured ribbing here and there, mostly from Natasha. We have our time together when my homework and working for Stark Industries allows, and of course, when Steve isn’t off saving the world. 

Steve and I had our first fight a few days ago, yet again about me not wanting to tell him about the whole vampire thing. He just doesn’t seem to understand that I’m trying to protect him and that not telling him is the best thing for everybody. 

I sigh and rub my eyes. Maybe I should go and apologize to him. I stand up from the couch and head toward the door. I grab the remote to turn the TV off, but the news catches my attention. 

_ “Thanks, Greg. This is Sally Marshall reporting for ABC News. I’m here in Manhattan to report on the fourth murder in our state in just a few short weeks. There have also been several murders in other states, and although no police forces have commented to say that these are connected, we can only assume that this is the work of a serial killer.”  _

I put my iPad down and give the television my full attention. 

_ “NYPD is reluctant to comment at this time due to this being an active investigation. There doesn’t appear to be any pattern between the victims at this time. We do however know that all the victims in every state have been exsanguinated …”  _

When the news reporter says that the victims have all been drained of their blood, I gasp. Surely, there’s only one thing this can be? 

A vampire. 

I pick my iPad up and search “recent NYC murders” into Google. A multitude of articles come up, so I click on a few from different news outlets and begin to read the first one. 

_ The first victim of the “Dracula” killer was struck down just four weeks ago in West Manhattan. Amy Long was just twenty-three years old when she was violently killed and drained of almost all her blood. NYPD has said she was on her way home from the gym at around ten p.m. when she died.  _

I roll my eyes at the name the media have given to this “serial killer”. Dracula? Really? I click on the next article. 

_ Patrick Flowers was the second victim of the “Dracula” killer. He was murdered near Long Island two weeks ago. Patrick was forty-one and had not long gotten off the ferry after finishing working late. _

I click through the other articles, reading about the other victims. There have been murders across the country, including Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, and Biloxi. My eyes go wide as I’m reading the other locations. How have I not seen this already? 

There’s a crime website that boasts about having access to M.E reports that aren’t visible to other media outlets. All of the reports on the four victims say they had wounds on their necks, close to the jugular vein, and had almost been drained completely of their blood except the latest victim, who still had about two liters left. I look through the rest of the reports and a couple more articles; there’s a particular paragraph from the crime website that catches my eye. 

_ The media has coined this serial killer as “Dracula”, which is a play on words at this person draining their victims of their blood. But the main question is what does a person want with this much blood from people? Why are they doing something so specific? How are they getting the blood? What if the name the media has given this killer has any truth behind it? Vampires are myth and something Hollywood has coined … or are they?  _

My eyes go wide as I read that last line. There’s only one person I need to talk to now. 

I get up from the couch and make my way toward Tony’s workshop where I know he’s most likely to be. Thankfully, I have access now, so I don’t have to bang on the window for him to let me in like last time. I open the door and walk up to the desk he’s sitting at. 

“Uncle Tony.” 

He turns to look at me and blinks. “I thought you were having an afternoon off?” 

“I am.” 

“Then why are you here?” He goes back to what he was working on. 

I raise my eyebrows. “Am I not allowed to come in and say hello?” 

He makes a noise of agreement. 

I open up my iPad and start scrolling through the articles I found. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the news lately, but they’re talking about all these murders that have been going on. So I did some research into them, and I dunno if I’m just being cautious or if I’m going crazy, but I …” I stop talking when I realize he isn’t listening to me at all. 

Thankfully , I have just the thing for when this happens. I wasn’t sure I’d ever need to use it, and quite frankly, I’m excited. “JARVIS, initiate the Ritalin protocol.” 

Suddenly, everything but the lights turn off, and this means that whatever Tony was working on is no longer switched on. I put one of my hands on my hip and wait for him to look at me. 

He turns around with a smirk on his face. “You have my full attention.” 

“Are you sure?” 

He frowns. “Don’t be sassy.” 

“I learn from the best.” I grin and repeat what I just said. “So I don’t know if I’m just being over cautious, or going crazy, but what if this  _ is _ a vampire?” 

After I say the word, he turns around to check the workshop and make sure there isn’t anybody else in here. Luckily, the Ritalin protocol stops anybody else coming in, so no-one is going to find out about vampires … at least, not today. 

“Bella.” 

Before he has a chance to say anything else, I hand him my iPad, and he scrolls through the articles. His eyebrows raise at various points, and I guess it must be over the “being drained of blood” part. After a while, he gives me back the iPad and folds his arms. 

“Bella, we’ve seen and fought aliens, like six months ago, so this could honestly be anything at this point.” 

I know he’s trying to placate me, and I fight not to roll my eyes. “You know aliens, and I know this. I know what this is!” 

“Are you sure you aren’t just being a bit dramatic because of everything that happened?”

There’s silence as I think about what he just said. I feel tears in my eyes as my anger rises. Of all the people to say such a thing … 

“JARVIS, lift the Ritalin protocol.” I turn and walk out of the room without saying anything back to Tony. 

If he won’t help me, I’ll go and find this vampire on my own. 

xoxo

It’s been three days since I saw the news and went to try and get help from Tony. I still haven’t spoken to him and have been purposefully avoiding him. 

I still haven’t been to see Steve, so we haven’t spoken since our fight, which was almost a week ago. 

I’ve been keeping an eye on the news the last few days, and there haven’t been any reports of another murder, so I figure if I’m going to try and find whoever it is doing this I need to go soon before they “feed” again. 

It’s occurred to me a few times that maybe this could be Edward, but then every time I do think that, I immediately brush it off because what will I do if it is? The masochist in me wants to go and find this vampire for that exact reason though … just in case it is Edward. Surely, I can be the one to stop him doing this? 

I’ve been looking at the places where the murders have taken place and decided I’m going to head toward Staten Island, as nothing has happened there yet. 

I finish work for the day and head back to my bedroom, thankfully without running into anyone. I watch the news in my room, making sure there hasn’t been anything new, and I leave just as it starts to get dark. 

I peer around my bedroom door to make sure there isn’t anyone around and start to make my way along the hallway, toward the quickest exit I know out of the tower. Just as I’m headed toward the staircase I need, I see Steve coming to the top of the stairs. It occurs to me that he’s mission ready, with a determined look on his face and wearing ... a new suit. 

This one is a darker blue with no red at all, a dark silver star on his chest. Just as he's descending the stairs, I catch a glimpse of a SHIELD insignia on the right shoulder. Which means he isn't working with this team ... not with The Avengers.

I open my mouth and almost call out to him, to see where he’s going … but I have my own mission. His clearly doesn’t involve me, and mine doesn’t involve him. 

xoxo

An hour and one expensive Uber ride later, I arrive in Staten Island after dark. Yesterday, I found an abandoned school during my searches and have decided to have the Uber driver drop me off near there. 

I’ve figured that if it is Edward, he’ll be able to smell me, and surely, that will help me find him. 

There’s barely anybody around as I get closer to the abandoned school, and it’s gotten darker outside, and I’m getting creeped out. 

If this doesn’t turn out to be Edward, then I’m most definitely a dead girl. 

I can feel my heart beating faster, and as I’m walking along, I catch a glimpse of something moving very fast out of the corner of my eye. I stop walking and wait for a second. I hear a gasp, and when I turn around, I realize I haven’t been anticipating it being this vampire. 

“Alice?” I cry out. “Oh, my God, Alice, is that you?” I run toward her, intent on giving her a hug when she calls out to stop me. 

“Bella, no.” 

I stop in my tracks. “It really is you. Oh, Alice.” 

“What are you doing here, Bella?” 

“I’ve been following the news, and I figured out that it must have been a vampire. I thought maybe it was Edward, and I wanted to come and stop him.” I shake my head. “I wasn’t expecting it to be you.” I realize that with Alice being here, it means that it’s her who’s been killing people. “Have you been killing those people, Alice?” I walk closer, and my question is answered when the gold irises I saw on her last time have been replaced with ruby red. 

She smiles at me, but it isn’t friendly. I gulp. 

“It’s actually quite ironic that you’re here because all of this has been for you.” 

“What do you mean?” I fold my arms. 

Jasper appears, seemingly from nowhere, and stands next to Alice. “We’ve been trying to find you for quite a while. Who knew you’d escape to New York City?” 

I frown. “I didn’t escape.” 

Alice tips her head. “And having The Avengers as your new friends. Are you hoping they’ll rescue you now?” 

I start to back away, but I’m pushed closer toward Alice as Jasper appears behind me. Alice takes my hand, and I flinch at the coldness of them. 

“Don’t you realize he wants you back? I’m sure he’ll forgive you for betraying him. We’ve seen you with that soldier.” 

I shake my head, even as I feel Jasper trying to persuade me that it’s true. “No, Edward told me that he didn’t want me. I was just a distraction to him. He left me. You all left me!” I cry. I try to take my hand away, but her grip is tight. “Stop doing that, Jasper! I know he doesn’t want me, and I don’t want him!” My voice breaks as I feel him manipulating me, making me feel what I once felt for Edward.

“He never stopped loving you.” She squeezes my hand, and her smile seems genuine, but there’s something off in her eyes. They won’t focus. “None of us stopped loving you.” She closes her eyes. “I’m sorry for this next part, Bella. I am, but Edward hasn’t been the same since you left, and neither have we. He’s gone a bad way, and we need to stop him from completing his final task.” 

I try to back away, but Jasper’s hand remains on my back. “I don’t understand, Alice.” 

“You will.” She smiles again, and this time, all of her teeth are showing.

“Don’t do this, Alice. Please.”

She comes closer toward me, and suddenly, her teeth are at my neck. I scream as she bites me. I can feel myself growing weaker as she takes my blood. 

I’m abruptly dropped to the floor as Mjölnir swings by, and Alice drops me. I’m no longer held by her, and the burning commences. Just as I realize what’s happening to me, I’m aware of someone kneeling beside me. 

“Oh, Bella. Why did you do this?” 

I struggle to open my eyes and find Tony next to me. 

“I think this was inevitable.” And I close my eyes again, letting the fire take me.

* * *

**I hope anybody reading this is enjoying it so far! Sorry, it has taken me so long to post, but it's completed so I'll post remaining chapters soon!**


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